The best credit cards for online grocery delivery services, including Instacart and Amazon Fresh
Editor's Note
Shopping for groceries weekly is something that I have come to develop a love-hate relationship with. Sometimes, I enjoy going to the grocery store, perusing the aisles and people-watching. However, more often than not, I don't want to get up from my couch and choose to get my groceries delivered instead.
Like regular grocery shopping, I try to maximize my reward earnings with online grocery shopping. Here are a few popular online grocery delivery services and which cards will earn rewards at each.
Related: Your definitive guide to online grocery delivery services
Amazon Fresh
Amazon Fresh codes as an Amazon purchase, which means you'll want to use cards that earn extra on Amazon.
The Prime Visa card is the obvious choice, earning 5% cash back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases (plus, get a $100 Amazon gift card as a welcome bonus upon approval for Prime members). While Amazon doesn't code as groceries for cards, you can purchase Amazon gift cards at your local supermarket that will earn points. (It is important to note that some credit card issuers may flag purchases of large amounts of gift cards at grocery stores and not give bonus rewards. I recommend buying a gift card or two with your normal grocery shopping to not trigger any flags.)
There's also the lower-tier Amazon Visa Card, which earns 3% back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases.
The information for the Amazon Visa has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Other useful cards for maximizing rewards are the Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it Cash Back. Both these cards have rotating 5% cash back categories each quarter, and Amazon often appears as a rotating category once per year.
The information for the Discover it Cash Back has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Instacart
Here's the great news: Instacart purchases code as groceries, which means you can use any standard grocery credit card for those purchases. Here are some cards to consider for Instacart:
- American Express® Gold Card: Earns 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar).
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: One of the best value cards available, offering 3 points per dollar on online grocery store purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs).
- Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1%). Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- Instacart Mastercard®: Earns 5% cash back on Instacart purchases
- Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card: Earns unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®). This is our pick for the best no-annual-fee (see rates and fees) card for groceries
- Chase Freedom Flex: Earns 5% cash back at grocery stores (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate) during the first quarter of 2024
Related: The best credit cards for groceries
Local grocery delivery services
Your local grocery store chain may have its own delivery service that you can use. For example, my local Safeway and Albertsons offer delivery in my area. Because these purchases are made through the grocery stores, you should use the same cards you normally would at the grocery store.
Additionally, Walmart Neighborhood markets code as grocery purchases.
- American Express® Gold Card: Earns 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar)
- Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: As mentioned above, earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per calendar year; then 1%)
- Chase Freedom Flex: Earns 5% cash back at grocery stores (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate) during the first quarter of 2024
Related: Chase Freedom rotating categories
Bottom line
Though not all cards are optimal for both, there's some definite overlap between ideal cards for online delivery services and in-store grocery purchases.
Play around with your strategy — depending on what cards are in your wallet and what cards you want to look into — and enjoy online grocery shopping to its fullest.